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On Saturday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks fell behind 0-1 in their first round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers thanks to a listless showing on the offensive end of the floor. Giannis Antetokounmpo did his part, but virtually none of his Milwaukee teammates were able to put the ball in the basket consistently.
The biggest culprit of Milwaukee's offensive struggles was trade deadline acquisition Kyle Kuzma, who amazingly did not record a single point, rebound, or assist in 22 minutes of playing time.
After the game, head coach Doc Rivers was asked about a potential starting lineup change, but quickly shut the notion down, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“We’ve done it,” Rivers said. “We’re a better offensive unit than that, but we have to be that though. The only way that lineup can play well offensively — they need more ball movement than the other one. The other lineup, we have guys that can go downhill and create plays. The first lineup, we have to move the ball to get shots for everybody else.”
An awful showing for the Bucks
Making matters even more embarrassing for the Bucks on Saturday was the fact that the Pacers didn't have a particularly good offensive showing in their own right, as Tyrese Haliburton struggled to generate points for large stretches of the afternoon.
However, even that couldn't hold a candle to the struggles of Kuzma, who was a (literal) non factor in this game after the Bucks traded franchise icon Khris Middleton for him at this past trade deadline.
The silver lining for the Bucks is that they may get Damian Lillard back for Game 2. Lillard missed the home stretch of the season with a blood clot; however, he has since been cleared of the ailment and is no longer taking blood thinner medication.
If Lillard is indeed able to go for Game 2, it would give Antetokounmpo some much-needed support on the offensive end of the floor.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday evening from Indiana and will be carried nationally by NBATV.
